Bioinspired nanostructured surfaces for antimicrobial and antifouling applications

Microbial biofouling threatens healthcare, water treatment and food systems by promoting resilient biofilms, reducing device lifetime and increasing infection risk. Bioinspired nano- and micro-structured surfaces (NMSS) offer non-leaching, physics-driven antifouling and mechano-bactericidal strategies that aim to reduce reliance on toxic biocides. This review evaluates advances in bioinspired surface engineering, emphasizing the comparative performance, material trade-offs, and long-term stability of antifouling and antimicrobial strategies. NMSS reduces the real contact area, increases local shear, and, for dense high-aspect-ratio features, imposes membrane deformation that can cause lysis; bactericidal and antifouling efficacy depends on pillar height, tip radius, spacing, substrate stiffness, and wettability. Multiscale models link nanoscale membrane stresses to mesoscale transport and critical shear thresholds, allowing geometry selection tailored to flow regimes and microbial types. Hybrid strategies that combine topography with benign chemistries (zwitterions, photocatalysts) and stimuli-responsive actuation enhance robustness under protein conditioning and mixed-species biofilms while reducing ecological load. In conclusion, the combination of multiscale physics, machine-learning optimisation, and sensor-integrated maintenance, along with bioinspired NMSS, can deliver scalable, lower-impact antifouling solutions. • Nanopillars kill microbes through geometry-dependent stress. • Bactericidal action can be considered to have several synergistic pathways. • The topography-chemistry hybrid enhances the antifouling. • Computational models guide the design strategies for nanoscale systems. • Adaptive antifouling is possible using smart responsive surfaces.